Evangeline The Musical

THE LEGEND OF "EVANGELINE THE MUSICAL"

The legend begins with the expulsion of the Acadians from Nova Scotia. The English had acquired the peninsula of Acadia prior to the French and Indian wars; however, they were wary of the colonists' loyalty and feared losing this strategic piece of land. As a military measure, the English army, in 1755, dispersed the Acadian settlers all along the Atlantic Coast and the Gulf of Mexico. The story of Evangeline is based on an incident that occured during this period.

Probably the best loved of American poets the world over is Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Many of his lines are as familiar to us as rhymes from Mother Goose or the words of nursery songs learned in early childhood. Like these rhymes and melodies, they remain in the memory and accompany us through life. There are two reasons for the popularity and significance of Longfellow's poetry. First, he had the gift of easy rhyme. He wrote poetry as a bird sings, with natural grace and melody. Read or heard once or twice, his rhyme and meters cling to the mind long after the sense may be forgotten. Second, Longfellow wrote on obvious themes which appeal to all kinds of people. His poems are easily understood; they sing their way into the consciousness of those who read them.

Americans owe a great debt to Longfellow because he was among the first of American writers to use native themes, from the American Indian ('Song of Hiawatha'), and American history and tradition ('The Courtship of Miles Standish', 'Evangeline'). When composing his epic poem of Evangeline, Longfellow made some changes. The original story had Evangeline wandering about New England in search of her bridegroom. Longfellow extended her journey through Louisiana and the western wilderness. She finds Gabriel, at last, dying in Philadelphia. Evangeline was published in 1847 and was widely acclaimed.

Despite claims to the contrary, the story’s characters are entirely fictitious. In fact, Longfellow based his story on a vague account of the expulsion told to him by a Maine clergyman, H. L. Conolly, who had attended a dinner party at Longfellow’s on May 2, 1844, as the guest of famed American writer Nathaniel Hawthorne. In creating Evangeline, Longfellow combined Conolly’s story with historical data found in nonfiction sources like Thomas C. Haliburton’s highly inaccurate An Historical and Statistical Account of Nova Scotia (1829). The completed poem became an American classic, and for decades school children throughout the United States were required to read Evangeline.

Longfellow died on March 24, 1882. "Of all the suns of the New England morning," says Van Wyck Brooks, "he was the largest in his golden sweetness."

For details about the Longfellow-Evangeline Historic Site in St. Martinville, LA click here.